Of Dreams And Darkness
by LarkroseLukos
Summary: It's a year after the events of "The Will And The Were". When Kassidy is killed, Kowalski investigates her death, hoping it will end the dreams that plague him every night. But soon he is caught in a web of lies that will make him question everything.
1. Dreams

Disclaimer: I do not own anything you recognize.

_Kowalski…_

_It was that voice again! It echoed through Kowalski's ears._

"_Kassidy?" he called into the dark landscape._

"_Kowalski, run! RUN! He's after you! RUN!"_

_The tall penguin ran blindly into the darkness. Heavy footsteps padded behind him. He couldn't see anything. Then he hit a black wall. He was trapped. His unseen enemy came closer and closer._

"_Kowalski, help me!" It was the sound of Kassidy's voice._

"_I'm trying… I'm trying!" Kowalski raced down the shadowy hallway. He nearly tripped. _

_Kassidy was lying in front of him. She was in a pool of blood. Kowalski felt something wet on his flipper. He looked at it._

_Blood! Blood was everywhere. It rose up into a swirling sea. Kowalski gagged as it washed down his throat. The iron taste throbbed like poison through his veins. Then the whole room went black._

"Kowalski!" Skipper's voice was like a lifeline pulling him out of the inky blackness.

Kowalski opened his eyes slowly. Skipper was leaning over him with a worried expression on his face.

"You were yelling 'Kassidy' in your sleep. I thought you've gotten over that incident." His leader said as Kowalski climbed out of his bunk.

"I-I don't know…" Kowalski rubbed his eyes, trying to bring himself back into reality.

"Well, sleep or not, it's training time."

Kowalski wiped his brow. He felt wetness on it. He looked at his flipper, and gasped. There was blood on it!

He closed his eyes, but when he looked again, it was gone. He groaned and put his hands in his flippers.

"Keep it together, man! It was only a dream." Skipper shook Kowalski out of his thoughts.

"Yes… only a dream. I'm sorry, Skipper. I don't know what got into me." Kowalski said.

***

Before Kowalski knew it, it was night. He dreaded climbing back in his bunk, dreaded returning to that horrible world where dark creatures stalked his every move, where black and red dominated every other color, where Kassidy's voice called to him, seducing him to help a sister who he hated.

But Kowalski, almost robotically, slid under the covers and into his bed. His mind was buzzing with the need to not close his eyes, but somehow the room went blurry, and he was drawn into that dream world once again.

_This time Kowalski was in a silver hall. Kassidy was waiting for him at the end. Her eyes were blurry with tears._

"_Kowalski," she said. "I've been waiting for you."_

_Then the lights went out. Kowalski heard a door slam behind him. _

"_Kassidy?" he called._

"_Kowalski!" it was Private's voice._

"_Private?"_

"_Don't wake him up, Private. Unless you want to tell him?" It was the gruff voice of Skipper._

"_Buttons!" That was Rico._

"_Shh… You don't want to wake him… wake him… wake him…" _

"Huh?" Kowalski's head snapped up. He looked around. Where was Kassidy? Where was the dark, twisting tunnel? He climbed out of his bunk.

"Now you woke him up!" Skipper raised his flipper to slap the young penguin.

"What's going on? Why are you looking at me like that?"

Rico groaned.

"Kowalski," Skipper laid a flipper on the tall penguin's shoulder. "There's something you need to see."

***

Skipper led him out into the park. Lying under a bench was the limp body of a penguin. Blood had stained her once beautiful white feathers, and her eyes were open, free of the ambitious fire that once blazed within them.

"Kassidy…" Kowalski whispered.

***

That's the end of chapter one.

Till next time,

~Lukos


	2. The Notebook

"Who did this?" Kowalski clenched his flipper in a fist.

"Hard to tell. As an agent for Dr. Blowhole, she would have had all kinds of enemies."

Kowalski closed his eyes for a moment. "I need to find who killed her."

"It's not your fault. You should just-" Skipper was beginning to get uncomfortable with talk about emotions.

"I need to know!" Kowalski lashed out at his leader. _Maybe that will stop the dreams. _He noted mentally.

"I'm giving you the day off of training," Skipper said. "If you need some time to… grieve or something."

Kowalski nodded. "But I won't be grieving, Skipper."

Skipper nodded and left the park.

Kowalski bent down beside his sister. There was a handbag still clenched in her flipper. He picked it up and spilled the contents on the ground.

His slender flippers sorted through the items. There was her wallet (which sported a fake ID stating her as Heather Asadi) and a notebook. There was a knife and shotgun tucked in there, as well as her Grandfather's tracking device.

The first priority was to search through her notebook. Kowalski was greeted with these words:

_9:58_

_The Steamy Cat's Bar_

_Smokey Willow_

_June 14_

Today was June 14! That was the first thought that ran through Kowalski's head. And it was about 11:00 in the morning.

He looked at the notebook again:

_Meet Shaggy and Shades at 1326 CalfFeather Lane. Bring JJin. _

_4:15_

_June 13_

And the next page:

_Shaggy says Blowhole needs a tracking device._

_Deliver to 5764 Ikslawok Lane. _

_6:23_

_June 15_

Then Kowalski turned to an entry that made him stop cold.

_Plant bomb in Skipper's HQ. _

_June 13_

_12:05 _

Kowalski dropped the book and ran.

***

Cliffhanger!

While your waiting for the next chapter, you may want to read some of my other works.

~Lukos


	3. Smokey

Kowalski got back to the HQ and raced in.

"EVERYONE! OUT!" he yelled, picking up Rico and through him out the hatch.

"Have you gone cr-" Skipper didn't have time to ask before Kowalski picked him up and through him out.

"Where's Private?" demanded Kowalski once they were all outside.

"He's in his bunk. Kow-" Skipper started.

Kowalski was already gone. He dragged Private out of his bunk, well aware of the faint ticking noise.

"Come on, Private." he said, shaking the small penguin awake.

"Huh?"

"We have to leave now!"

"Kowalski…" Private's voice was groggy.

Kowalski (Private slung over his shoulder) leaped out of the penguin HQ- just as the entire place exploded behind him. He and Private hit the concrete. Debris and smoke rained everywhere.

"What… just happened?" asked Skipper.

"Kassidy," Kowalski was panting. "Kassidy happened."

***

"Its very nice of you to let us stay until our exhibit is rebuilt." Private thanked Marlene.

Marlene, who was cooking dinner for the penguins, slipped off her oven mitts. "Anything for a neighbor." she said. "I owe you guys anyway."

Rico grabbed his fork and spoon, ready to eat. Kowalski lowered his head into his flipper, deep in thought.

It was 8:40. Kowalski had to be at the Steamy Cat's Bar soon.

"I-I have to go." he said.

"Why? I'm making salmon." Marlene said.

"It's really important. You- you wouldn't understand." Kowalski sped out the door.

***

The Steamy Cat's Bar was a rough place. It was underneath a real bar, and was flooding with all sorts of animals. Cats, dogs, squirrels, you name it.

Kowalski spotted a tough looking penguin with a name tag reading "Smokey" wiping down the bar table.

"So you're Smokey?" he asked.

"One of my names. Who are you?" the penguin demanded. His stature reminded Kowalski of Rico, though this penguin had no Mohawk or a stomach of weapons.

"I'm a friend of Kassidy." Kowalski's voice was calm and cool despite the butterflies in his stomach. "She was killed in the park last night."

"I don't know a Kassidy." Smokey crossed his arms.

"How about a Heather?"

Smokey paused and leaned in closer. "What do you want?"

"I want answers. First, who do you work for?"

"Dr. Blowhole."

"Do you have any enemies?"

"Heck yeah! Let's see… The Wasps- they're an elaborate street gang with over twenty members spaced all over the world. El' Cabetre- he's a powerful drug lord. And Osa's Five- five weasel sisters- I'd watch out, they know kung fu or whatever it's called."

Kowalski thought for a moment. "Where is your base?"

"We don't have one. We're spaced all over," Smokey looked around again. His face took on a gruff appearance. "Okay, now I'm asking some questions. Who are you?"

"I'm many people." Kowalski said.

"Who do you work for?"

"I'm in espionage." Then Kowalski realized he shouldn't have said that.

"Espionage? You're a bloody spy! You'll rat out my organization!" Smokey leaped on the table.

Kowalski belly slid out of the bar and started running. He knew Smokey could be anywhere.

He leaped up on a dumpster and used it as a launch-board. He sprung up onto the top of building. He panted and waited. A cold breeze blew at his feathers and he shivered.

***

"_Kowalski…"_

"_Kassidy? Is that you?" asked Kowalski into the darkness._

"_Pi=3.14." _

"_Huh? I must be dreaming…"_

"_Kowalski!" That was Private's voice._

_Then there was the sound of an explosion._

_Kowalski couldn't see anything though. Just blank nothingness._

"_Kowalski…" Private's voice again. _

"_Where are you?"_

"_Just a little farther… you're almost there…"_

"_WHERE ARE YOU?"_

"_I'm right here!" Private's voice again. "I'm right in front of you."_

_Then Kowalski saw Private. The penguin was about six feet away and was waving. But what was that flash behind him? It was the reflection of light against a knife!_

_Kowalski tried to scream out to the penguin, but no sound came out. He was paralyzed…_

_The knife came closer to Private's neck…_

"No! Private!" Kowalski woke up. He was on the rooftop. There was frost on his flippers and his back was sore from sleeping on concrete.

He had a perfect view of the zoo from here. That was strange… why was the entire zoo charred and flaming?

"Oh no…" Kowalski climbed down the building and raced for the zoo.


End file.
